Cooling apparatus with cooling of circulating air and injection of cooling air

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a cooled goods apparatus with cool circulating air and having a cooling compartment for receiving the goods to be cooled, a duct for cooling air and, a low temperature generator for generating cooling air. The low temperature generator is in fluid communication with the cooling compartment via the duct that leads into the cooling compartment via an outlet opening. A jet forming means is formed by a nozzle element and/or a spacer that is arranged at the outlet opening and that keeps the goods to be cooled at a distance from the outlet opening.

The invention relates to a cooling apparatus with cooling of circulating air, comprising at least one cold chamber for receiving the goods to be cooled, at least one duct for cooling air and a low-temperature generator for generating cooling air. The low-temperature generator is in fluid communication with the cold chamber via the duct that leads into the cold chamber via an outlet opening.

For apparatus with circulating air cooling, the cooling air, cooled by a central evaporator and conveyed by a fan, is passed through a multi-flow system into the store room to be cooled, in order to even out the temperature distribution in the store room and guarantee adequate cooling even if the store room is densely filled.

Circulating air cooling apparatus and circulating air freezing apparatus are known that have storage compartments that are supplied with cooling air through an air duct arranged on a foam side. The side of the metal internal container of the circulating air cooling apparatus or circulating air freezing apparatus facing towards the store room in this case remains smooth and the metal inner container has one or more openings along the air duct on the foam side so that cooling air can flow from the duct into the interior space of the circulating air cooling or circulating air freezing apparatus. The number and size of the air outlet openings themselves are chosen so that adequate cooling can be ensured for the particular apparatus.

With the known solutions, it has however been shown that the cooling air does not always reach all the areas of the interior space of the circulating air cooling or circulating air freezing apparatus. For this reason, it is necessary with known solutions to select a lower temperature for the cooling air flowing into the cold chamber than is necessary for an adequate cooling of the goods to be cooled, in order to make sure that all the goods to be cooled in the cold chamber are stored below a specified maximum temperature. As a result, the circulating air cooling or circulating air freezing apparatus is not operated at an optimum level with regard to efficient energy utilization.

The object of this invention is therefore to provide a cooling apparatus with circulating air cooling that can be operated at maximum energy saving efficiency with a reliable cooling of the goods to be cooled by the cooling device being guaranteed.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the cooling apparatus as specified in the independent claim. Further advantageous embodiments and developments, that can be applied either individually or in any combination in each case, are the object of the dependent claims.

The inventive cooing apparatus with circulating air cooling has at least one cold chamber to hold the goods to be cooled, at least one duct for cooling air and a low-temperature generator for generating cooling air, with the duct connecting the low-temperature generator to the cold chamber being in fluid communication and with an outlet opening into the cold chamber, with a jet-forming means being provided and with the jet-forming means being formed by a nozzle element and/or by a spacer at the outlet opening, by means of which the goods to be cooled are held at a distance from the outlet opening.

Cooling apparatus means all cooling apparatus with circulating air cooling, especially also freezing apparatus with circulating air cooling. In a modification of the invention, a transfer of the invention to circulating air stoves is possible with, according to the requirements of a circulating air stove, the cooling air being replaced by hot air, the goods to be cooled being replaced by oven goods, the cold room by an oven compartment and the low-temperature generator by a heat generator.

The cooling air flow into the cold chamber can be influenced by the jet-forming means. In particular, a flow of cooling air deep into the cold chamber is brought about. This advantageously avoids turbulence and swirling.

With the aid of the jet-forming means, the cooling air flow is advantageously formed horizontally in the cold chamber and especially runs in a direction vertical to the inner surfaces of the cold chamber within which the outlet opening is located.

The outlet opening can be located on the back of the cold chamber, i.e. on the side opposite the door or flap of the cold chamber. It can, however, also be arranged on the side walls of the cold chamber.

Advantageously, a plurality of outlet openings, especially between two and twenty, preferably between four and ten, are provided on the inner surfaces of the cold chamber, in order to cool the goods to be cooled in the cold chamber as uniformly as possible.

With the aid of a spacer, it is ensured that the goods to be cooled maintain a clearance from the outlet opening, so that sealing of the outlet opening is avoided. By means of the spacer, dead spaces in the cold chamber, which are inadequately supplied with cooling due to unsatisfactory positioning of the goods to be cooled in front of the outlet opening, are avoided.

This also promotes a precise, uniform, uninterrupted and reliable cooling of the goods to be cooled.

Both the nozzle element and the spacer help to make sure that the temperature distribution in the cold chamber is evened out and a reduction of the temperature of the cooling air is no longer necessary to avoid a maximum temperature being exceeded in a partial area within the cold chamber. As a result, the cooling apparatus can be operated in an energy-saving manner. With the aid of the invention it is possible to cope with very slight tolerances in temperature fluctuations even with substantial load changes, i.e. with frequent opening of the cold chamber door or where there are considerable changes in the amount of goods to be cooled in the cold chamber. Because of the tighter temperature coupling between the goods to be cooled and the low-temperature generator obtained by the jet-forming means, the actual amount of cold required can be more precisely provided by the low-temperature generator.

In one embodiment, the jet-forming means is formed by a tapering section in the outlet opening by means of which a cross-section of the duct in the outlet opening toward the cold chamber is essentially smoothly reduced, with the cross-section of the duct in particular being reduced by at least 20%, preferably by at least 30%, with at least 40% being particularly preferred.

The tapering section provides a nozzle effect that enables a particularly stable flow of the cooling air into the interior of the cold chamber. By means of the essentially smooth reduction in the cross-section, a favorable injection of the cooling air is possible from a hydrodynamic point of view. By means of the smooth reduction (i.e. as stepless as possible and edge free), the swirling and turbulence that would otherwise lead to instability of the flow and hinder the inlet of the cooling air into the deeper areas of the cold chamber, are avoided.

The jet-forming means can have a curvature along which the cooling air is guided into the cold chamber. The curvature can be formed on only one side or several sides of the outlet opening, with the curvature being advantageously arranged on the top side of the outlet opening.

The inside of the jet-forming means facing towards the outlet opening can be designed so that it has the greatest possible radius on the side of the inflowing air. The cooling air flowing in the duct endeavors to follow this curvature in accordance with the law of flow mechanics and to emerge from the outlet opening. This means it is not necessary to introduce a baffle stage to increase the backpressure and turbulence is avoided, which means that the flow conditions in the overall system are subject to less disturbance and the efficiency of the cooling apparatus is improved.

Advantageously, the radius of the curvature is at least 5 mm, especially at least 10 mm, preferably at least 20 mm, with 30 mm being particularly preferred and/or is less than 200 mm especially smaller than 100 mm, preferably smaller than 50 mm. The flow conditions in the cold chamber are advantageously influenced by such a shape of the jet-forming means.

In a special embodiment of the invention, the jet-forming means projects at least 10 mm, especially at least 15 mm, preferably at least 20 mm into the cold chamber. By means of this projection, a maladjustment of the outlet opening by the goods to be cooled is largely avoided and the cooling air can flow in through the intermediate space between an inner wall of the cold chamber and the goods to be cooled without an excessive flow resistance being caused by the goods to be cooled. In this way, a sufficiently large flow of cooling air is also provided in this area of the cold chamber and an inadequately cooled partial area is avoided.

In particular, a combination of the cooling air injection with the spacer is advantageous because the installed depth, which is necessary for a largest possible radius of the curvature, can be used to enable the jet-forming means to both generate a particularly deep flow within the space and also to ensure a cooling air flow.

Advantageously, the jet-forming means is formed by a spacer edge arranged above the outlet opening that projects below the outlet edge of the outlet opening. In this way, a minimum outlet cross-section is maintained even if the goods to be stored are pushed directly against the outlet opening.

The jet-forming means can be provided on an inside of the cold chamber. It can, however, also be integrated into a wall of the cold chamber and can thus project partially beyond the inside of the cold chamber.

Advantageously, the jet-forming means is essentially arranged above the outlet opening. A projection as an overhang is advantageous as it avoids the ingress of condensation water or dirt into the duct.

The jet-forming means can be wider that the width of the duct and/or have a height somewhat greater than the outlet opening of the duct. In a special embodiment of the invention, the jet-forming means extends over at least ⅓ of the inner area of the cold chamber, especially over at least half the internal width of the cold chamber or over the complete width of the cold chamber. This then itself advantageously provides an intermediate space between the goods to be cooled and the inner wall of the cold chamber if the complete inner width of the cold chamber is covered by disarranged goods to be cooled.

It is advantageous if the jet-forming means can be mounted as an add-on on an inside of the cold chamber. In particular, the facility for add-on mounting can enable known cooling devices to be retrofitted, thus enabling the cooling efficiency or cooling properties of said devices to be also improved.

The jet-forming means advantageously has adhesive surfaces and/or detent elements by means of which it can be attached to the inside of the cold chamber. Detent lugs or detent projections can be used as detent elements. They can advantageously be clip-on.

In a special embodiment of the invention, the duct runs along one side of the duct space and terminates, angled downwards, in the cold chamber. This embodiment is then particularly advantageous if the low-temperature generator is located completely below or completely above on the cooling apparatus and the duct for this has to be routed along one side of the cold chamber.

The jet-forming means is advantageously produced by injection molding.

Particular details and other advantages are explained in more detail using the following drawings, which are not intended to limit the invention but instead to provide illustrative examples. The drawings are as follows:

FIG. 1A cutaway of an inventive cooling apparatus, showing a section view from the side,

FIG. 2 A cutaway of an inventing cooling apparatus, showing a front view,

FIG. 3 A section view from the side of a jet-forming means, showing how it can be used for the inventive cooling apparatus according to FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 shows a cutaway of an inventive cooling apparatus 1, showing a section view from the side, with a cold chamber 2 for holding goods to be cooled 3 that are cooled with the aid of cooling air 5, which is supplied via a duct 4 from a low-temperature generator 12. The low-temperature generator 12 is located above the cold chamber 2. The cooling air 5 is, as shown by the arrows in the illustration, supplied to the cold chamber 2 via an outlet opening 6, with a jet-forming means 7 positively influencing the flow of the cooling air. The jet-forming means 7 injects the cooling air 5 into the cold chamber 2. In the illustrated example, the goods to be cooled 3 are positioned directly in front of the outlet opening 6. In this arrangement, although an injection effect cannot be achieved by the jet-forming means 7, the jet-forming means 7 functions as a spacer 10. The cooling air flows into an intermediate space 22 formed between a spacer edge 14 (see FIG. 3) and an outlet edge 15 by a corresponding spacing of the goods to be cooled 3 from an inside 13 of the cold chamber. The inside 13 of the cold chamber 2 is located on the back of the cold chamber 2, i.e. on the side opposite a door (not illustrated) of the cold chamber 2. The goods to be cooled 3 are supported on a supporting grid 20 through which the cooling air 5 can pass, so that the cooling air 5 can still flow in without any significant rise in the flow resistance despite the misalignment of the outlet opening 6. The jet-forming means 7 has a curvature 11 on its top, along which the cooling air 5 flows in. The curvature has a radius of 3 cm and because of its nozzle effect ensures adequate flow far into the inside of the cold chamber 2 provided no goods to be cooled 3 impede its path.

The ability of the jet-forming means to concentrate or focus the jet ensures a flow of the cooling air deep into the cold chamber, even if there are goods to be cooled at a certain distance, because the concentration of the jet enables a comparatively good reflection or deflection of the flow by the goods to be cooled, thus ensuring that the cooling air still reaches more distant areas of the cold chamber 2. Advantageously, the speed of the cooling air reduces by less than 50% at a distance of 20 cm from the outlet opening, especially less than 30%, and preferably less than 15%, compared with the speed at which the cooling air 5 leaves the outlet opening 6.

The jet-forming means 7 is advantageously attached to the inside 13 of the cold chamber 2 by means of detent elements 17, with adhesive surfaces 16 ensuring additional attachment. The detent elements 17 can be designed as detent lugs that can be clipped onto corresponding recesses on the inside 13. The duct 4 runs along a back 19 of the cold chamber 2 and the cooling air 5 is passed into the cold chamber 2 via a plurality of outlet openings 6. The curvature 11 forms a tapering section 8 that represents a nozzle element 18.

FIG. 2 shows a cutout of an inventive cooling apparatus 1, viewed from the front, with supporting grids 20 for supporting the goods to be cooled (not illustrated). The cold chamber 2 has a plurality of outlet openings 6 on which a jet-forming means 7 is arranged. The jet-forming means 7 has a nozzle element 18 through which the cooling air 5 is injected far into the inside of the cold chamber 2. The jet-forming means 7 has a length L which is greater than a width B of the duct 4. The length of the jet-forming means extends over approximately 70% of the width, bounded by side walls 21, of the cold chamber 2.

FIG. 3 shows the jet-forming means 7 from FIG. 2 in a section view from the side and has a height H which is greater than the height of an outlet opening 6. The jet-forming means 7 has a nozzle element 18 which contains a curvature 11 that achieves an injection effect. The curvature 11 has a radius R of 30 mm. The jet-forming means 7 can be attached with the aid of detent elements 17. The jet-forming element 7 is formed by a tapering section 8 that reduces the cross-section 9 of the duct 4 by 25%. A spacer edge 14 and outlet edge 15 perform a spacing function, thus enabling cooling air 5 to emerge even when the goods to be cooled 3 are placed directly in front of an outlet opening 6. The spacer edge 14 has an overhang X above the outlet edge 15 so that emergence of the cooling air 5 is possible even with goods to be cooled 3 placed in front. The height H of the jet-forming means 7 is higher than that of the outlet opening 6.

The invention relates to a cooling device 1 with circulating air cooling having at least one cold chamber 2 for receiving the goods to be cooled 3, at least one duct 4 for cooling air 5 and a low-temperature generator 12 for generating cooling air 5, with the low-temperature generator 12 being in fluid communication with the cold chamber 2 via the duct 4 that leads into the cold chamber 2 via an outlet opening, with a jet-forming means 7 being provided and with the jet-forming means 7 being formed by a nozzle element 18 and/or a spacer 10 which is arranged at the outlet opening 6 and keeps the goods to be cooled 3 at a distance from the said outlet opening 6. The aim of the invention is to provide precise, regular and energy-saving temperature regulation of the goods to be cooled 3 in the cold chamber 2.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

-   1 Cooling apparatus -   2 Cold chamber -   3 Goods to be cooled -   4 Duct -   5 Cooling air -   6 Outlet opening -   7 Jet-forming means -   8 Tapering section -   9 Cross-section -   10 Spacer -   11 Curvature -   12 Low-temperature generator -   13 Inside of cold chamber 2 -   14 Spacer edge -   15 Outlet edge -   16 Adhesive surfaces -   17 Detent elements -   18 Nozzle element -   19 Side of cold chamber 2 -   20 Supporting grid -   21 Side wall of cold chamber 2 -   22 Intermediate space -   R Radius -   L Length of jet-forming means 7 -   B Wide B of channel 4 -   H Height of jet-forming means 7 -   X Overhang 

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A cooled goods apparatus comprising: a.) at least one cooling compartment for receiving therein goods to be cooled; b.) means for generating cold air; c.) at least one distributor duct that has an outlet opening communicated with the cooling compartment, the at least one distributor duct being operable to receive cold air that has been generated by the cold air generating means and to distribute the received cold air into the cooling compartment via the outlet opening; and d.) means forming a jet, the jet forming means defining a cold air jet path for introducing into the cooling compartment cold air that has exited the outlet opening of the duct and the cross section of the cold air jet path being less than the cross section of the outlet opening of the duct such that cold air guided along the cold air jet path is subjected to a nozzle affect and the jet forming means extending relative to goods to be cooled received in the cooling compartment such that the goods at kept at a spacing from the outlet opening by the jet forming means.
 16. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is in the form of a tapering structure that substantially smoothly reduces in cross-section from the outlet opening to the cooling compartment, with the cross-section of the cold air jet path in particular being reduced by at least 20%, preferably by at least 30%, with a reduction of at least 40% being particularly preferred.
 17. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means has a curvature along which the cooling air is guided into the cooling compartment.
 18. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the radius of the curvature is a selected one of at least 5 mm, at least 10 mm, at least 20 mm, and at least 30 mm and is a selected one of less than 200 mm, less than 100 mm, and less than 50 mm.
 19. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means extends into the cooling compartment with a projection of at least 10 mm, especially at least 15 mm, preferably at least 20 mm.
 20. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is formed by a spacer edge arranged above the outlet opening, the spacer edge projecting beyond an outlet edge of the outlet opening, with the outlet edge being arranged below the outlet opening.
 21. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is located within the cooling compartment.
 22. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is located above the outlet opening.
 23. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is at least one of wider than the outlet opening and taller than the height of the outlet opening.
 24. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the jet-forming means extends over at least one third of an interior width extent of the cooling compartment, especially over at least half of the interior width extent of the cooling compartment, preferably over the complete interior width extent of the cooling compartment.
 25. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is mounted interiorly of the cooling compartment.
 26. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means has attachment means formed of at least one of adhesive surfaces and detent elements, the jet forming means being attached via the attachment means to an inside surface of the cooling compartment.
 27. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the duct extends along one side of the cooling compartment and terminates in a downward bend in the cooling compartment.
 28. The cooled goods apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the jet-forming means is formed of an injection molded material. 